The past

The past is part of us, and what we learn form it makes us who we are. The dark pasts, drive us into maturity and teach us the importance of love and survival.

 

6.30 a.m  

 

Lupe hears the sound she hated the most, and raised a hand to close the alarm clock. She would do anything for another hour of sleep, or at lest a few more minutes; but she couldn’t risk being late in the employ of senior Olivares.

 

With a colossal effort, she got out of bead in the cold air and walked towards her sister’s bead:

 

-         Wake up Maria! It’s time to get up.

 

Maria made a sound, and she towed the blanket over her head.

 

Lupe gave up being angry at her sister’s laziness and neglectance. Times weren’t easy now that their,, beloved,, father died and left them a bunch of debts, Rosa, their mother had an infection of the kidneys and Lupe had no idea how they were gonna pay, the hospital bill.

 

One, her drawer was full of expensive clothes, and smelled like jasmine, but that was a long time ago… now, Lupe was no mach for the slim elegant latin women on the streets of San Jose.

 

She grabs a simple long-sleeves pail red baluse, and a pair of classic jeans to go with her sneakers. After a quick shower and breakfast, Lupe went to the bus station, and met Carmina:

 

-         Hola Lupita! How are you doing?

-         I’m fine, seniora Carmina. Coma va usted? (And how are you doing?)

-         Estoi bien gracias! She said and offered Lupe a wide smile.

 

Seniora Carmina was a friend of the mother of Lupe, and since she got in the hospital she was constantly seeking Lupe’s presence. Like most of the old folk of San Jose, Carmina was very religious, and she encouraged Lupe to say prays for her mother, and come at the church with her as often as possible.

 

Lupe loved her mother a lot, and her greatest and most present fear was to losing her, but she gave up praying a long time, despite her religious education. It was Lupe’s secret belief that God was a very sick man, who did not care much for her, of her family’s fate- or he simply didn’t exist.

 

The dirty old bus arrived in the station, not long after Lupe’s arrival and the two women got in.

 

Passing by the streets, Lupe gazed at some luxurious homes and that thought made her go back in time, when her and Maria were in high-school and their father ran a successful little business fixing cars. Her mother, Rosa didn’t have a job, but she made a pretty good mother to Maria and Lupe. Since her husband was working almost all day, Rosa felt lonely for a long time.

 

Lupe didn’t know for certain that her mother was cheating on her husband, only the fact that she was missing form home more than usual. Her mother’s suspicious behavior went unnoticed, until Lupe could see sadness in the eyes of her father. He tried to show tenderness towards their mother, but she did not respond like before - she was colder.

 

Their father began drinking, and started to miss days from home and neglect his shop. Rosa, tried to pull her husband back together but she was unsuccessful because at the time he treated her only with hostility.

 

Their whole life went downwards; Rosa worked in various places, and managed to give them a decent living, their father speeded most of his money on alcohol, and did not show much affection towards his children since Rosa betrayed him.

 

Eventually their father died of cirrhosis, and unexpectedly that was a great hit for their mother- probably because she thought that she was the one to kill him- by not offering him the love he needed.

 

Lupe got once again in front of the Rosa Blanca restaurant, and went trough the staff door. A few colleges greeted her before she placed her hands into the sink, which was going to be the only image that she saw in the next eight hours.         

Reviews

[Adela Muresan]

No idea where did the dialog lines go O_o